Uconn

How much effect will new head coach have on Huskies? With video report BY ED DAIGNEAULT Republican-American

Connecticut interim head coach and former offensive coordinator T.J. Weist listens to a question during an NCAA college football news conference after the dismissal of Connecticut football coach Paul Pasqualoni, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

STORRS — Right this moment, there is slightly renewed interest in UConn football. That's the good news for a team that is 0-4 and has looked awful three times in getting there.

The bad news is, there is zero guarantee the Huskies are going to get any better in the final eight games, all in the widely panned American Athletic Conference. The Huskies can speak of a new energy brought by interim coach T.J. Weist, but the fact remains that four games into a season, UConn can't change too much on the field. Too much has been implemented to completely start over.

It's a fresh start in terms of conference play. Yes, the Huskies can still reach their goal of winning the conference, though with Louis-ville and Central Florida in the league, that's a long shot at best. Even challenging for that goal will be a monumental task.

At least the Huskies and their fans can look forward to what they hope will be something different. The question is, how realistic is it to believe UConn isn't stuck in this downward trend for a bit?

Some things to consider heading into Saturday's game against South Florida (1-4) at Rentschler Field:

1. Weist's impact: Weist, 48, has never been a head coach at any level. He steps into that role for the first time not with months to prepare but days. And he's down two coaches, which is hardly a good situation. Weist has certainly changed things up, allowing music for the early parts of practice and running up and down the field with his players. He is certainly an intense guy.

But how will that manifest itself on the field? Weist will continue his role as offensive coordinator and call the plays, hoping for a increase in tempo. However, the Huskies have had a higher tempo than ever this year, and the offense still hasn't done much of anything. Energy is great, execution is better.

"Energy without execution doesn't mean a thing," Weist said last week. "We have to execute." Clearly that has been a major issue.

2. Mike Foley's impact: Foley was moved back to coaching the offensive line after working the last two-plus seasons with the tight ends. He fashioned some dominant UConn offensive lines from 2006-10 before being moved by Paul Pasqualoni. Some might expect miracles, but that's a foolish expectation.

UConn can't ditch the zone-blocking schemes it has used the last two seasons because it's far too late in the game for that. Zone blocking is difficult for college players, and there is at least some feeling that UConn doesn't have the talent up front it once had. The offensive line's issues might be as much a systemic issue as a scheme issue.

At the end of Randy Edsall's tenure, the coaching staff lamented sudden difficulty in landing quality offensive line recruits. The depth hasn't been there, something that was made abundantly clear when Pasqualoni's staff went hard after offensive linemen for three years. The offensive line will be more physical under Foley, but it just might not have the talent it needs yet.

3. True freshman QB: Tim Boyle takes over for Chandler Whitmer, a change that is certainly worth the risk. Much is expected of Boyle and there's no reason for Weist to continue to keep him on the sidelines. Weist wants to win this job and he must win games to do that. Boyle is likely one of his best options to that end.

The offensive line has to keep Boyle upright, and Boyle has to make more good decisions than bad. There will be bad decisions, of course. He is a true freshman with no college experience. But there is a reason he was so highly recruited. Boyle is viewed as the biggest piece in getting the Huskies back to where they were.

No pressure at all.

4. The fans: Never truly in Pasqualoni's corner, they understandably jumped ship in a hurry this year. Now that Weist is in charge, it will be interesting to see whether fans get behind him no matter the results. Ultimately, UConn must win games, but it also must provide a product that fans are interested in so it can fill a stadium that has spent most of the last three seasons at nowhere near capacity.

Saturday is the double-dip of homecoming and the debuts of Weist and Boyle, and is sure to draw a decent crowd. But what happens from there?

5. The defense: Somewhat unnoticed among the offense's failings has been the precipitous dropoff defensively. The Huskies were inspired and looked like their old selves against Michigan, but did not look good against Towson, Maryland or Buffalo. Is this a matter of defensive coordinator Hank Hughes being too conservative because of Pasqualoni's influence, or is it a matter of having to replace too many good players?

Even through the consecutive 5-7 seasons under Pasqualoni, the defense was good enough to give UConn a chance to win in all but two, maybe three, games. In those two years, UConn lost just four games by more than two touchdowns. Already this year the Huskies have lost two games by at least two touchdowns.

The defense is surrendering nearly 380 yards of offense per game, 193 yards per game on the ground. Only three times in its FBS existence has UConn allowed more than 150 yards per game on the ground (179.6 in 2006, 157.4 in 2007 and 155.7 in 2002). Buffalo is the only opponent this year to fall short of 200 yards rushing and it managed 164.

Follow Us

Post a reader comment

We encourage your feedback and dialog. Please be civil and respectful.If you're witty, to the point and quotable, your reader comments may also be included on the Around the Towns page of The Sunday Republican. Readers must be registered and logged in to post comments on the site. Registration is free. Click Here to register.
A Subscription is not required to post comments only a Registration.